Hello
by Sinares
Summary: The calm facade. Emotionless, eyes that betray nothing. The outside remains unchanged despite the turmoil. But inside, something is moving. Something wants out. And if you dare to look far enough into these eyes, then you will see. Something is screaming.


**Author's Note: Alright, so I got this idea when Dreamer of Legends (my bestest best bestie buddy) made me listen to the song "Hello" by Evanescence. It's a really depressing story, or at least, I intend to make it as depressing as possible. Ah yes, there's also going to be a bit of Peachshipping in here, for any of those who like YugixTea. Also, no pairings between Yugi and Yami. Just a little brotherly fluff. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. Tanoshimu!**

****

_"Yami... please, please don't go!"_

_Atem turned away from the door, staring silently into the eyes of his light. His heart twinged as Yugi spoke the name he had given him when they first met, instead of the standard 'Pharaoh'. Yugi's amethyst orbs begged him not to go, and his heart nearly broke into two pieces as he saw the dread of the realization that no matter what Yugi said, he could not change his mind._

_"Aibou, you know I have to. I cannot stay here, I don't belong in this world. My time has long passed." Atem stepped forward and placed his hand on his cheek. He looked deeply into Yugi's eyes, trying to show him through wordless communication that his time was up. Yugi seemed to understand._

_Reluctant acceptance filled his gaze, and his arms wrapped around his darker side. Atem jerked, unexpectant of this reaction, but his own arms soon encompassed his partner. Yugi held on tightly, knowing that it would be his last time with his truest friend. His brother._

_Atem released Yugi, holding his shoulders out at arm's length. He captured Yugi's eyes in his gaze._

_"I love you, Yami." Yugi hesitated, then said carefully, "Onii-sama."_

_Atem smiled the slightest bit, then hugged Yugi tightly again. After he let go the second time, he stepped away, retreating to the Door of Separation. The door that would take him to the Afterlife. _

_He glanced back, back into the faces of his dear friends. Tristan was subtly trying to wipe away the tears falling down his cheeks, while Téa cried openly. Joey patted her shoulder gently, then looked back at Atem, nodding slowly once. Atem threw him a grateful smile, understanding Joey's acceptance of his passing. Finally, his eyes rested on Yugi, his light, his hikari... his aibou. _

_"Aibou, remember, I'm always with you. Listen to you heart, for it can't ever steer you wrong. Believe in yourself, and in your friends. Your bond of friendship is the strongest thing in the world. Never forget those words. I love you Aibou."_

_Yugi's lower lip trembled, the crystalline tears streaming like rivers down his cheeks. He nodded, then forced a smile onto his face. Atem smiled back, holding out his thumb in their signature thumb's-up, then turned and walked through the door to the Afterlife._

_The door slid shut soundlessly, sealing the pharaoh in the realm of the dead. _

_Sealing away forever Yugi's heart._

_His Yami was gone._

****

A grey dawn broke over the misty horizon. The sky was white and cold, unyielding to the captive sun that futiley attempted to break through the thick quilt of clouds. Though it was early spring, the air was icy and sharp, biting into exposed flesh with hardly a concience.

Yugi opened his eyes, his head still swarming with the troubling dream. He scowled, shaking his head, as though trying to dislodge the images from his mind. He rubbed his eyes and stood, slipping into the clothes he had laid out for himself the night before. After casting one last glance around his unusually tidy bedroom, he made his way down the stairs and into the shop.

Slipping into the navy jacket that hung on the coat rack by the shop's front door, he murmured a half-hearted farewell to his grandfather, who stood behind the counter with an anxious expression. Grandpa replied with his own farewell, needing no explanation as to where his only grandchild was going. Yugi turned away and slipped soundlessly out the small game shop's door, the welcoming bell ringing loudly amidst the awkward silence.

The door shut loudly behind him, and as he walked, he could feel his grandfather's eyes through the window drilling holes into his back. He sighed and faced straight ahead, his feet moving sluggishly across the wet pavement. It was cold this morning, even though it was early spring. The air seemed much colder than the previous week, but Yugi couldn't feel it. He was numb to almost all senses, the weight of the past few months resting heavily on his young shoulders.

No... he musn't think of him. It was too painful. Yugi hastily banished the thought from the corridors of his concious, obliterating every trace that it left behind, until it was as though he had never thought of it. His heart painfully twinged, and he winced, hating that he still felt that way. He was gone, and he was not coming back. He knew he should just get over it.

He was almost unaware that he sat down until he comfortably rested on the only unbroken child's playground swing. The gravel under his feet crunched noisily as he swung himself back and forth, back and forth. The chains creaked and groaned under his weight, threatening to break at any given moment. Yugi barely heard them. He was lost in his own mind, lost in the despair of losing the most important person in the universe, his whole soul. Without him, he was only half there. The other half of him was safely locked away, where he couldn't reach; the Afterlife.

Again, Yugi pushed the nagging thought from his weary mind, and instead focused on the rocks beneath his feet. His golden fringe fell into his amethyst eyes, but he made no move to push it back, his hands locked firmly around the rusted chains. He picked out many colours; red, blue, green... and purple.

He was just about to give in to the consistantly pestering thoughts, when a little girl no more than seven stepped up in front of him. He looked up, staring into her warm brown eyes. She was tiny, much smaller than he, for he had grown considerably in the past months, now nearly as tall as Joey. Her long, identically brown hair swayed in the stinging wind, blowing across her face and almost touched Yugi's lap. She gazed at him with innocence written all over her sweet face. She held her hand out, clasping something tightly so that it would not blow away. Yugi inhaled sharply.

"Hey Mister, do you want to duel me? I've seen you on T.V. a lot; you're a real hero! The King of Games! I watch you all the time!" Her face lit up, her lips curving up into a heart-warming smile. But it could not reach his heart. His was still numb with pain and loss.

Her little face fell when she recieved only a stare from the once great King of Games.

"Mister King, are you okay? You look really sad." She reached out and touched Yugi's hand still clamped around the chains. He only continued to stare.

Suddenly, another person came up behind her, taking her hand away from Yugi's. He was very tall, and had black, silky hair and piercing emerald eyes. He picked her up and held her around his hip.

"Jenny, leave him alone. I'm sure he's got a lot to think about right now." He glanced down at Yugi, nodded briskly, and carried the little girl away.

Yugi could just barely catch the girl saying, "But, Onii-chan... I wanna duel the King of Games!"

They disappeared into the distance.

Yugi heard a loud and rather annoying ruckus approaching from behind. His head spun around to behold the high school's senior gang, who everyone called 'The Mob'. He scowled at them, envoking menacing glares and fits of laughter from the boys. One of them approached him.

"Well," he said in a very arrogant tone, "Playing on the swings, are we? Aren't we a little old for playgrounds?" His friends busted out laughing, as though they thought their leader was a riot. Yugi only bristled.

_Playing, is it? Well, how about we play a game of Du-_

_No!!_

Yugi annihilated the thought before he heard more of _his _voice, of how he used to protect Yugi from the bullies. Yugi could not think of him. He would not.

A calm expression crossed his face as he realized he had won, he had banished the feelings before it could consume him. The teenager standing before him looked a little taken aback, unrecieving of the reaction he had been hoping for.

Yugi stood from the swing, straighteneing himself until he was just a little taller than the boy. He grinned, his white teeth showing.

"You want to play?" he asked. His grin widened, and he held out his hand.

The boy backed up a step. There was something in his eyes... something that told him he shouldn't mess with Yugi. His mind was screaming at him to run, to forget the 'Wimp who grew up'. He retreated farther.

"Come on, this geek is crazy!" He turned and nearly ran, pushing past the rest of his friends. They hesitated, glanced back at Yugi, who was still grinning, and hastened after their leader.

As soon as they were gone, Yugi let out a deep breath and collapsed on the swing once again. His eyes drooped in sadness, his spikes drooping in a like manner. He had just stood up to the bullies, when he wasn't able to do that before. Yugi sighed, seemingly defeated, though he had won that encounter. He didn't need someone else to stand up to the bullies anymore. He could do it on his own... and yet, somehow, he didn't want to.

_I don't need friends anymore... I can stand without them...._

His heart shuddered, and he instantly rejected the words.

_No, I do need friends. I was the one who said everyone needs friends in the first place... or was it... someone else?_

Yugi couldn't remember. It felt like he had said it, yet somehow, it seemed he hadn't. And, try as he might, he could not recall the one who had.

He closed his eyes, then stood from the swing, his feet automatically carrying him slowly across the frosted ground. He had walked this path more times than he could count since the summer had passed; his feet had long since memorized exactly the right way to go. The children usually avoided the swingset now, as their parents told them to stay away from Yugi. "He's not right in the head", that was their excuse. The only swing still intact was now known as the "King Swing", a harsh mockery of the defeat Yugi and his counterpart handed to the once great Maximillion Pegasus.

Yugi's feet hit hard ground, and he opened his bleary amethyst eyes, squinting into the brightening dawn. The sun was just coming up over the edge of the ocean, setting the water afire with golden flames. It was a magnificent sight, possibly one of the most beautiful sunrises yet this spring. But its beauty was lost to Yugi, his remorse quelling any joy he saw Mother Earth gifting him.

He turned his eyes away, toward the approaching turtle resting on the roof of a humble shop.

Grandpa's eyes raised from the children he was entertaining with cards to the tall boy who had just entered. The bell rang merrily, louder than usual, as though attempting to ring some amenity into his sullen face. He took no notice of it.

The children turned around, all laughter ceasing as they beheld the King of Games. They watched him saunter toward them, holding their breath as he passed.

Yugi stopped as he walked by, glancing at the wide-eyed children. The oldest seemed no more than 12 years of age, the other three ranging far younger. They stared at each other, wordless curiousity playing across the small distance they stood from each other. It was the boy who broke contact, touching the shoulders of the others, until they all turned back to face Grandpa.

"Yugi," Grandpa said as Yugi's eyes raised to his face, "Breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen."

Yugi turned away, shame filling his bosom. Was he so bad that his own grandfather did not want his help in the store anymore? Did he really look that inhuman?

The door separating the main living quarters from the shop clicked shut quietly, and Yugi leaned against it, burying his face in his hands. His own grandfather didn't want him in the store anymore. He was too scary. He wasn't friendly.

His lips turned up slightly in the corners into a harsh grimace as Yugi considered the irony of the observation. Yes, he had once been friendly. He had once been kind. But it was all ripped away the day his dark half left him. It seemed as though the pharaoh had taken the more part of his personality, his very spirit, with him into the Afterlife. His essence.

Ignoring the sushi on the counter, Yugi slunked up to his bedroom, making sure the door was firmly closed and locked it. He hesitated at the entrace, staring at a large, flat object covered by a navy sheet. He slowly approached it, his mind screaming at him to stop, to back away, to ignore the callings of his heart.

Raising his hand, it hovered just above the sheet, frozen by some unknown force. His mind was rebelling against him, he realized with a slight smirk.

_Listen to your heart... it can't ever steer you wrong... come to me... Aibou...._

Yugi's mouth dropped open at that voice, his hand nearly tearing the sheet as he ripped it away from the mirror. It swished in the air, then fell to his bed with a soft thump. He stared at the boy, as the boy stared back with shock written all over his face. Then it slowly turned to horror.

_That's _me... Yugi realized. _But I thought..._

Wasn't it the pharaoh's voice he had heard in the mirror? He could have sworn to the Egyptian gods that it was.

_No... it was just my mind... conjuring up HIS voice... _

His eyes slid halfway shut at this discovery, lids drooping in sadness. Gently, he lifted his hand and touched the mirror, his fingertips resting over the reflection's cheek. Then they slid slowly over to his eyes, then down to his heart.

Yugi's breath escaped his lungs, his hand dropping from the glass surface. An immense amount of sorrow filled his heart at the touch, overtaking his shuddering frame. He dropped to the floor with a loud thud, his head resting on the edge of the blue carpet. His eyes slid shut as slowly, blackness shrouded his concious. His mind gave in to it.

A tiny crack appeared on the mirror, the hissing of a thousand serpents richoceting around the room, then another, until little cracks covered the entire surface. Then, one by one, they fell away, revealing a blank wood board beneath.

The mirror had shattered.

**A/N: A little saddening... so, tell me, because I'm not really sure. Am I repeating myself? I sort of feel like I am, but I don't really know. Tell me what you think, please? I NEED TO KNOW!! *Ripping hair out* Okay, I'm calm. I really want to write this story, and I'll probably start on the next chapter as soon as I post this. Please tell me what you think! Oh yeah, one more thing. Can anyone tell me how to do a page-break? That would be real helpfull. Arigato!**


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